The Greatest Mistake
by Teen Warrior
Summary: Prequel to All I Have Left and After the War. After Tenzin dumps Lin for Pema, she realizes she has to raise her son alone. A collection of oneshots about Lin's journey into motherhood leading up to All I Have Left.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a prequel to All I Have Left and After the War. I'm not sure if I should continue this, because I have some ideas. Bah, idk. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or any of its characters. Only Kuzon and the story.**

If you had told Lin Beifong two years ago that she would give birth to a baby boy who's father is Tenzin and that he would dump her for a seventeen-year-old, she would slap you.

Unfortunately, it was true.

Lin sat on her bed after finally getting her six-month-old baby to go to sleep. Although she was tired, she couldn't help wondering about her ex-lover.

_Flashback_

_Lin and Tenzin were having dinner at Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. They both loved the noodles there and went after Lin was off from work. She noticed Tenzin didn't seem like himself. He was more distant. _

_She knew that she had to tell him. Her mother had just found out and was horrified. Katara found out as well and wanted to tell Tenzin, which Aang wanted to do too. But it was against Lin's wishes; she preferred to tell him herself. Besides, once she told Tenzin about the baby they could finally settle down. After years of trying, she knew that this baby would survive._

"_Lin, there's something I need to tell you." Tenzin said once they finished their noodles._

"_What is it?" Lin asked._

_He looked at his empty bowl. "Well, this is going to be…I can't tell you this, but I have to-"_

"_Spit it out already, Tenzin."_

_He looked at her mournfully. "We're done, Lin."_

"_What?"_

"_I'm sorry, Lin. But we've been trying for ten years to have a baby but it's not working. I need to reproduce so my race will live on." Tenzin explained._

_She looked at him, shocked. But their baby…_

"_It's Pema, isn't it?" she spat._

"_Yes, Lin. She just told me she's in love with me, so maybe once she's older we can-"_

_Lin stood up. "Fine, then. Leave me for some…some girl!"_

"_Lin! Please, be reasonable. You know I will always love you, but I have a duty to my people." He was pleading now. "Lin, I love you but-"_

"_If you truly love me, then you wouldn't be leaving me." Lin told him and stormed out of the Noodlery, trying to fight back tears. Now her baby would never have a father._

_End of Flashback_

Lin walked to her son's crib and looked at him. He was asleep, his chubby little arms grabbing his green blanket. She stroked his soft ebony hair until he awoke. Kuzon sleepily opened his eyes and then giggled when he saw Lin. He reached for her and she carried him in her arms. She sat on her bed and sat Kuzon in front of her.

"You know, originally I didn't want children." she said.

His eyes began to fill up with tears and he bawled loudly. Lin worriedly took him in her arms and rocked him gently.

"Shush, shush. I didn't mean it to be that harsh." she soothed and wiped his tears. He whimpered and looked up at her.

"I just didn't know how to deal with children. It's so much work, which was the biggest argument I had with your father. Which caused him to leave us, but he left before I got the chance to tell him about you."

Lin stroked his soft cheek. Kuzon started to relax in her arms and his tiny fist clenched the sleeve of her pajamas.

"We don't need him, do we?" Lin asked her son.

He stuck his thumb in his mouth and silently watched her with his big gray eyes.

"Yes, you're absolutely right if that's a no." she said. After a minute, she said, "I'm sorry."

Kuzon cocked his head.

"I'm sorry that you have to be without a father. I know how it is. But he's with a younger woman. A woman who's sixteen years younger than him. Quite an age difference, huh? If he doesn't want me, then-"

Her son drooled a little. Lin scowled and wiped it off with her thumb and wiped it on her sheets. Kuzon scowled back, his thin eyebrows furrowing.

"Sorry if I'm being a bit too bitter. Being a mother is a giant milestone. I'm not sure what to do with you. Your grandmother Katara would be much better use to you then I would. Maybe I should send you to the North Pole so you can live with her." Lin told him.

He blew a raspberry at her.

Lin smirked. "I guess not. I wouldn't do that to you, but I don't like leaving you alone when somebody could break in and take you."

Her son put on a look that said, _I can take 'em._

Lin snorted. "Yeah right. I don't even know if you can get out of your crib, let alone bend. Probably not at this age."

Kuzon did nothing, merely looked at her. His gaze reminded her of Tenzin.

She cupped his face in her arms. "You, Kuzon Beifong, are all I have left. You're all that matters and the only gift your father gave me that's worth keeping. If there's one thing I'm grateful to him for, it's you. And I swear I will protect you at all costs. And that's a promise I intend to keep."

Kuzon nodded solemnly. "Ah wuv you mama." he said in a baby voice.

Lin was stunned. They were his first words. A bit garbled, but she had understood. She smiled lovingly at her son. "I love you too, my son."

She held him tightly in her arms. He snuggled closer into her arms and started to sleep.

"All I have left of Tenzin." she muttered as she looked at her sleeping baby. "Sleep well."

**Yup. It's a fail, I know. But I wanted to explore Lin's feelings of becoming a mother and how she resented Tenzin for leaving her. And writing about baby Kuzon was pretty fun even thought it was brief. He even scowls at such a young age. He's definitely a Beifong. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad you liked the first chapter! I enjoyed writing it. :D **

**I decided they would be a collection of once shots centering on Kuzon's childhood and the struggles Lin had to go through to protect her son and keep him away from Tenzin. So here's the second chapter! Thanks for reviewing btw.**

**Chapter 2**

Lin woke up early that morning for work and put on her uniform. She peeked in Kuzon's crib. The baby was still sleeping. He was hugging his blanket. She glanced at the clock and then at her son.

"I'll be at work. I'll come as soon as I can on my lunch break to feed you." she told the sleeping baby.

She kissed her fingertips and rested them lightly on Kuzon's forehead. "I love you."

Lin left her home and drove her satomobile to the Police Headquarters. She made herself a quick cup of coffee before leaving the lobby. She walked to her office and was surprised to find Saikhan waiting there, glancing at a newspaper on her desk.

"G' morning Chief." Saikhan said.

Lin sat at her desk. She sipped her coffee and nodded politely. "Good morning."

"Are you alright? You seem a little tired."

"I'm fine, thanks." she replied, her eyes on the newspaper. The headline read, **Tenzin proposed to Pema! **They were kissing. She felt the need to throw up but tried to look as indifferent as possible.

Her second-in-command nodded and left her office.

She bit her lip. So he proposed to that girl. He looked happy. Pema looked happy. Maybe…maybe this was best. Tenzin would marry someone who'd willing have his children. She was over him, so it didn't matter to her.

So why did Lin still feel angry?

Lin ripped the newspaper up and tried to focus on the paper work sitting at her desk.

After she had finished most of her paperwork and threw criminals in jail, it was time for her lunch break. Lin ran into her car and drove as quickly as she could while in the speed limit to her house. Once she was there, she jumped out of her car and opened the door.

"Waaaahhh!" Lin heard Kuzon cry. "Waaaahhhh! Waaaahhhh!"

When she opened the door he momentarily stopped crying, but then resumed.

The chief grabbed a bottle filled with warm milk and carried Kuzon out of his crib. She put the bottle in his mouth and he sucked on it eagerly.

Lin sighed as she looked at Kuzon. "What am I going to do with you?"

She couldn't be here all the time. Her long absence from the Police Force had already aroused a number of questions. She could not trust anyone to take care of Kuzon because she would have to explain why she had a baby. Lin definitely couldn't bring him with her. She was stuck.

Who knew that parenthood was so hard?

"I'll just have to wake you up when I have to go to work so I can feed you your breakfast, then go back to work, come back when it's my lunch break to give you lunch, and then give you your dinner when I come back." she decided. A strange smell came from Kuzon. She blanched. "Of course, I'll have to change your diaper when I come here."

He finished his milk and Lin gave him some baby food, wiping away the occasional drool and spilled food with a napkin. She changed his diaper and placed him back in his crib with a few of his toys in case he got bored.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? You'd better behave." she told him firmly.

Kuzon nodded and bit one of his toys. He waved when Lin started to leave. "Buh bye!"

"Bye." she replied, smiling at him before shutting the door.

**Please review…or I might 'accidentally' forget to update. (:**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Thanks for reviewing! Um, I read a review by Lin Is Amazing and I'm not a guy. I'm a girl. I thought I made that obvious by writing romance. **

**So here's another chapter by your truly! Hope you like it!**

**Warning: Sad content**.

Chapter 3: Tears

"Alright." Lin said to her baby, who was staring at her through half-open eyes. She had put him in his pajamas. "Time for you to go to sleep."

He yawned and she picked him up and laid down in his crib. Kuzon's gray eyes finally closed and Lin heard his breathing slow. She knew he was asleep.

She went into her bed and dreamed.

Flashback

They used to sleep together, and make love. She remembered his swift, breathtaking kisses.

"I love you." he'd whisper in her ear.

She would close her eyes and feel his lips on her throat, slowly traveling up her lips.

Her eyes fluttered open. It was about dawn. Lin immediately looked at Kuzon, who was oblivious to his mother's discomfort.

She felt something wet on her face. It was near her lips and she tasted it. It was salty.

Lin realized what it was.

Tears.

**I hope you liked it. Review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry last chapter was short! Hope this one makes up for it.

Dedicated to NicBaz, Lin Is Amazing, pandamochi123, and the guest who reviewed last chapter.

Chapter 4

Kuzon was now a one year old and curious. He had learned to walk at eight months and had been giving Lin a hard time ever since.

She had the day off because Saikhan wanted to try being Chief for the day. Since he was always pestering about that to her, she finally agreed.

"Mama!" Kuzon yelled and hugged her leg. Lin smiled and pried him off and tickled him. He laughed.

Lin fondly ruffled his hair. "Hello my little badgermole."

"Mama, can we go outside?" he asked.

Kuzon hadn't been outside one day of his life. Lin feared someone would wonder why she had a child in her home. Besides, if Tenzin ever found out he was the father...

He tugged her shirt. "Please?"

She sighed. "Alright. I'll take you to the park."

He cheered and ran in circles, laughing.

"Let me get my coat." Lin said and grabbed it from the coat hanger. She held Kuzon's hand. "Now we can go."

They walked out the back door and made their way down an alley and then turned to the right, on the road to the park. Kuzon chattered aimlessly, often pointing at things he had never seen before. Lin was amazed at his innocence and curiosity. She decided children weren't that bad.

"Mommy, is that the park?" he asked and pointed to the vast area of grass.

"Yes." she replied and bent down to meet his eyes. "Be safe. I'll be watching you. Try not to hurt yourself or others. Don't do anything stupid."

Kuzon nodded. "Bye Mama!" he said and ran to the park ahead of her. He ran on the grass, smiling. Kuzon tripped over something and Lin got ready to run there. But he was fine and rolled in the grass, his high-pitched laughter filling the park.

She smiled and sat on a park bench to watch her child chase a scared bug and abandon it to run around again. Lin could watch him forever and hear him laugh. He was happy, and that was all that mattered to her.

Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

**I know how much you want to read about the first time Kuzon bends, but I once wrote he learned at age five. I know I did somewhere and I'm pretty sure I posted it. *hint, hint* But I will write how he gets his bending so don't worry.**

**I just wanted to thank NicBaz for her review. I liked it, but I will have to change that a bit and use it or not use it because it was in the reviews. **

Chapter 5

"Mom!" shouted Kuzon. "Mom! Mom! Mom!"

Lin ran into his bedroom. The three year old was sitting on his bed in his pajamas staring at her.

She put her hands on her hips. "I told you that I'm very busy right now."

It was true. She had a lot of paperwork to fill out, thanks to her predecessor. Toph. Toph could not do it because she was blind and often had other people do it for her or she would hide it in one of her desk drawers. So Lin had to fill them out and turn them in the next morning. She was pretty sure she wouldn't get any sleep tonight.

"Yeah, I know." he said.

"And you should be sleeping. It's almost midnight!"

Kuzon pouted. "I wanna hear a story!"

She did a facepalm. "Kuzon! Now is not the time for stories!"

"Story about...Grandma!"

Lin sighed. "No. I'm very busy tonight."

Instead of looking disappointed, Kuzon had a determined face. "Then I won't go to sleep and I'll bug you."

he said firmly.

"Fine, I'll tell you a story." she said in defeat. He grinned and went under the covers, hugging his plush badgermole.

"Your grandmother, Toph, used to be thought by her parents as a poor little blind girl." she began.

"But Grandma invented metalbending!" Kuzon protested. "She's tough!"

She glared. "Can. I. Finish?"

He squeaked and nodded.

"But secretly, she was an earthbender. A prodigy. As a rebellion, Toph became the Blind Bandit. She was the champion and beat up a lot of tough guys like the Boulder."

"Wow!" he whispered.

"When Avatar Aang needed an earthbending master, he had seen Toph in a vision. So he, Katara, and an idiot named Sokka," he giggled at this. "went to go find her. They tracked her down as the Blind Bandit at first, then found her at the Beifong Estate. Toph had not wanted to see them because she thought they might expose her as the Blind Bandit." Lin looked at the clock. "Can I go now?"

"No! You're at the good part!"

"They got invited to dinner, much to Toph's displeasure. Unfortunately, it ended in everyone being covered with food. So she went with Aang for a walk to make up for it. She told him how she could feel vibrations in the earth and "see". Just about then, they were captured by some men from the underground arena. They thought they were cheated out of the prize money. So they were followed by Katara, Sokka, Toph's father, and her earthbending 'master'.

"Toph broke out of the metal cage and fought many earthbenders at once. Everyone was impressed, but when she got home her father strictly said she would be guarded around the clock."

Kuzon gasped. "He didn't!"

"He did. But Toph chose to run away with the Avatar and his friends." Lin finished. "And they had many adventures together."

His gray eyes widened. "Wow Mom! Tell another story!"

She shook her head. "We had a deal. Now sleep."

"Alright." he mumbled and quickly fell asleep. Lin kissed his forehead and turned off the lights. Finally, she was done with the story.

Although, she had to admit that it wasn't that bad.

Review! They inspire me to write


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait! I was taking a break. **

**So I decided to use NicBaz's idea, but it'll be kind of different. Hope you like it.**

**Dedicated to NicBaz, who believed in me since All I Have Left.**

Chapter 6

Kuzon was five now, and much more difficult to hide from the world. Once, he had almost escaped from a window if Lin hadn't stopped by on her lunch break. So she usually got Toph to look after him while she was working.

"Grandma!" he yelled and hugged Toph's waist when she came early in the morning.

She laughed and fondly ruffled his hair. "Hey there!"

"Thanks for keeping an eye on him." Lin said to her mother.

"No problem, kiddo." Toph grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "Mother, can you stop with the nicknames? I'm thirty-seven, I'm too old for that."

Toph gasped in mock horror. "Thirty-seven years old already? Why, I only changed your diapers yesterday!"

"Mother!"

Kuzon and Toph laughed. "You can go to work now. I'll take care of the little guy." she said.

"Thank you." Lin said and left them.

Toph turned to her grandson. "So kid, do you know if you're a bender?"

Kuzon shook his head. "I don't think I'm a bender." he said sadly.

"That's alright. Maybe you are, but you just haven't unlocked it yet."

He perked up. "Really?"

"Yup! So remember yesterday when I taught you the earthbending stance?"

He nodded and did it perfectly.

Toph nodded. "Good."

They did some exercises until Toph got tired and took a nap in her daughter's bed. Kuzon then listened to the radio and ate snacks.

The door suddenly broke when a person's foot kicked. Kuzon's eyes widened and he hid behind the couch, shaking from fear.

"So this is the Chief's place." a man said.

His partner nodded. "Heard she's rich. I'm pretty sure no one is here so let's get this over with."

Kuzon furrowed his eyebrows. They were thieves! He was positive his grandmother was still sleeping. It was up to him to protect their house.

He took a deep breath and ran in front of them. "Get outta my house!" he said firmly.

The two men and looked at each other, then smirked.

"Go run along, kid. We all know this isn't your house. Besides, we're earthbenders. We're stronger than you, pipsqueak." the first man said and roughly shoved Kuzon aside.

He fell on the floor, then quickly got up. "Leave, or else!"

They ignored him and pushed him aside and started to look in the kitchen for food or hidden riches.

Kuzon was angered. They thought he was no threat at all. He took the earthbending stance and tried to shoot a rock, but the earth did not respond. He bit his lip. What was he going to do?

One of the thieves was watching him. "Ha! Chen, he thinks he's an earthbender!"

The first man, Chen, guffawed. "Thinks he's a little man. Thinks he's so tough."

"One day I'll be Chief of Police and I'll throw losers like you in prison!" Kuzon growled and tried shooting a rock again.

To everyone's surprise, it worked. The rock hit Chen in jaw and he fell back, out cold.

Toph came in just at that moment. She frowned, her blind eyes staring into space. "What's going on?"

Police sirens wailed outside of the house and Lin came in and saw the thieves.

"This is a new low, even for you two." she growled and saw Kuzon.

"Hi Chief!" he said happily.

Her anger turned to confusion. "What?"

The thieves took this time to attack. Lin recovered just in time and threw her metal cables at one of the thieves. He threw a rock at her but she evaded it easily. Excited to use his bending, Kuzon launched two pointed rocks at the thief but he dodged and it hit Lin instead.

"Mom!" he screamed and rushed to her side. There were two long scratches on the right side of her face from the rocks. She was bleeding.

The blood scared him and he began to cry. Lin opened her eyes and saw his tears.

"It's okay." she murmured, ignoring the pain. She stroked his hair as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm fine, Kuzon. Don't cry."

Officers came in to take the thieves away. They looked at Lin and she mouthed, keep working. They thought Kuzon was a boy who happened to walk by when the incident occurred.

Toph ran to the mother and son. "Lin! Are you okay?"

She nodded and hugged Kuzon tightly. "Can you please call Katara? She's supposed to be at Air Temple Island."

Her mother nodded and went to go call her. Before she did, she mouthed, glad he's not an airbender.

Lin turned to her son. "I'm so proud of you. You're an earthbender."

He sniffed and gave her a small smile. "I guess I am."

Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry it took so long. I had a bit of writer's block and I've been mostly working on the new chapter for After the War. **

**So here it is. Kuzon's still five and he's learning earthbending from Toph, but mostly Lin.**

Chapter 7

"This is hard." Kuzon complained to his mother. He was standing barefoot on the ground, trying to feel the vibrations.

His response was a snort. "You're an earthbender, Kuzon. You need to feel the earth properly if you want to be a good bender." Lin said. "Keep trying."

He tugged at the blindfold. "Okay, I'll try again."

Kuzon took in a deep breath and slammed his foot on the earth. He felt...tigerdillos?

"Is it tigerdillos Mom?"

"Not even close."

He sighed.

"Are you even trying?" she asked.

"Yeah! But it's kinda difficult."

"Seismic sense is not an easy thing to learn." Lin admitted. "But you'll get the hang of it."

Kuzon rubbed his foot against the dirt and then slammed it. Everything was clearer now.

"Uh, I think I feel it." he said.

"What is it?"

He replied, "A rose bush...um, a picnic basket, and there's someone coming over here."

Lin smiled. "Good job. I told you that you could do it."

"Yeah, but who's coming?" he asked as he removed the blindfold.

Her smile faded. She sensed it was someone...familiar.

"Kuzon. Why don't you go to the bathroom?"

He pouted. "I don't gotta pee!"

She rolled her eyes. "Kuzon Beifong..."

"Okay, okay!"

When she was sure he was gone, she took a deep breath.

Tenzin was walking alone when he came to her. "Lin. This is a surprise."

"What do you want?" she asked with a hint of anger in her voice. After six years, her hatred for him had still stayed the same. Actually, it had only increased.

"I was just taking a long walk. To clear my head." he said and glanced at the picnic basket. "Are you having a picnic with someone?"

She shook her head. "No. I just came here after work. To unwind a bit."

He nodded. "Oh."

This had been their first interaction since she tried to put Pema in jail. Tenzin had been furious. Now he just seemed nervous, his gray eyes flitting away.

"Well, you should go now." said Lin, who nervously looked at the public bathroom a few feet away. Kuzon was going to exit in any minute.

Tenzin coughed in his hand. "Yes, of course. Good bye." he said and turned to walk away.

"Bye." she replied curtly.

About a minute after he had left, Kuzon ran out of the bathroom.

"Hi Mom!" he chirped and jumped into her arms.

She patted his back. "Hi."

"Mom, who's the bald guy in orange?"

Lin bit her lip. "He's...an orange." she lied.

He giggled. "Why's he an orange?"

"He's a walking advertisement."

More laughter. Lin smiled and put him down.

"How about we eat lunch?" she asked.

Kuzon's gray eyes gleamed. "Lunch! I love food!"

"So you love food and not your own mother?" she said in mock offense.

He shook his head. "I love you too, Mom!" He hugged her and his stomach growled. "Now can I have food?"

Lin ruffled his hair affectionately. "Yes, my little badgermole."

Review please! It would mean a lot.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you for reviewing last chapter! I hope you guys enjoy this one. This one's dedicated to those of you who write Linzin fics!

Chapter 8

"Mom?"

"Yes Kuzon?"

The seven year old looked up at Lin, almost tripping over a rock on the bumpy road. "Where exactly are we going?"

"I can't tell you. It's a surprise." she said.

He pouted. "I hate surprises."

She snorted. "Just wait."

"Can I have a hint?"

"We're going to see your Grandma Toph's earthbending teachers." Lin replied.

Kuzon sighed and looked at the ground. "I miss her."

It had been two months since Toph had died. Lin and Kuzon had been grieving ever since then. He had nightmares about her death every night after she died. Toph having spasms and then her eyes becoming blank, he had told Lin. Kuzon could not sleep and Lin had found him sleeping in her bed multiple times.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "So do I. But I don't think she would want you to be grieving all the time."

"Yeah, I know." he muttered. "Are we almost there yet?"

"Almost." Lin answered.

The two walked for about half an hour before they reached their destination.

There was a large cave in front of them. Kuzon pointed at it and looked at his mother. "Are we going in there?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Wow. Grandma's teachers live in a cave?"

"Yeah, they do." Lin replied.

He frowned. "Why?"

"You'll see." she said and began to walk inside the cave, Kuzon at her wake.

"It's dark in here." he whispered.

Lin rolled her eyes. "Really? Didn't notice." she said sarcastically.

"I know what to do!" Kuzon said. "I'll use my seismic sense."

"Good. You'll need it." she replied. "There aren't any lights in here."

They walked in a peaceful silence for a long moment. Lin thought it was the most peaceful moment she had since her son was born.

Until he broke the silence.

"Are we there yet?" he asked.

"No." she answered.

After a minute, he asked, "Are we there now?"

"No."

"Now?"

Lin gritted her teeth. "No, Kuzon."

"When will we be there?"

"In awhile."

He remained silent for a few minutes before asking, "Are we there now?"

"Kuzon Beifong!"

"...now?"

She stomped her foot and made her son fly into the air by a small column of earth. He easily got back on the ground. For an earthbender, he was light on his feet. He got that from Tenzin.

"I will tell you when we arrive. Don't even think about asking again or I will earthbend you to Ba Sing Se!"

He shut his mouth and kept walking. Lin wondered if she was being too harsh.

She ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm sorry if I was being abrasive."

"It's okay. I guess I should try to be less annoying." Kuzon said wisely.

"I would appreciate that very much."

They heard a strange noise coming from a tunnel to their left.

Lin smiled in the darkness. "There they are."

Two badgermoles approached them and sniffed Lin, then Kuzon.

He giggled when one of them licked his face. A young one ran to them and jumped on Kuzon. He laughed and hugged the young badgermole.

"Grandma Toph's earthbending teachers were badgermoles?" he asked once the little badgermole returned to its mother.

"Yes. They are very good teachers." Lin said.

"I wanna play with the little one. I'll call him...Iwao! C'mon Iwao, let's play." Kuzon exclaimed. He bent a ball of earth and made goal posts. "Earth soccer!"

They played while Lin and the two badgermoles watched. They occasionally licked her face while she talked to them. She mostly talked about Kuzon, and told the badgermoles of Toph's death. They hung their heads in respect for a moment. Then Lin talked about other things while the badgermoles listened intently to her words.

"Kuzon, we need to go now." Lin announced.

"Aw, but Mom!"

"No buts, it's getting late."

He sighed loudly. "Okay. Bye Iwao. I'll see you later buddy." Kuzon said and hugged his new friend.

After a long goodbye, Lin and Kuzon went out of the cave. The sunlight seemed so bright after their time in the darkness.

"Did you learn from Iwao? I expect that he taught you more about earthbending." Lin said.

He nodded. "Yup! And I even made a new move."

"Really? Show me."

Kuzon made a round rock and balanced on it. She noticed it was similar to the air scooter, but he had made a stand of earth that he could sit on and it moved with the rock so he never fell off.

"It's so fun!" he said and laughed happily.

He reminded her so much of Aang. His cheerfulness, his looks, and sometimes his wisdom.

"That seems a bit complex. Good job on figuring it out." Lin commented.

"Thanks." Kuzon said. "At first I just ran on it but this way I don't have to."

He was smarter than she thought.

"So Mom, are we going to visit the badgermoles again?"

"Of course." she said. "Maybe in a couple of months. I'm busy with work."

"Okay. Hey Mom?"

"Yes Kuzon?"

His expression turned serious. "Iwao had a mom and dad. But I only have you. Where's my dad?"

Lin bit her lip. She had been expecting to hear this for a long time. Nothing could've prepared her for this.

"Your father is gone. He's with someone else." she said and paused. "He was...a firebender."

"Wow. A firebender?"

"Yes." she lied.

Kuzon looked at the ground. "At least I have a mom though."

Lin hugged him and gave him a light punch on the arm. "At least you have me." she agreed.

Review!


	9. Chapter 9

Here's the ninth chapter! I can't believe that I've gotten so many reviews! It's like a dream come true.

Warning: This chapter is dark. That's all I'm saying.

Chapter 9

He was nine now. It was getting harder to hide him away from the public so she treated him like a distant relative. Lin told Kuzon that it was like a game. He told her that he wasn't stupid so she gave him the partial truth. People would try to hurt him to hurt her and she wanted to protect him.

Whenever Lin looked at him, it was like looking at two people. Kuzon and Tenzin. He was looking more like him every day. The look in his eyes when talking about something serious, the kind smile he'd give to someone in need before giving them a couple of yuans. Just what Tenzin would do.

Spirits, she hated Tenzin.

Now even more than ever. His first child with Pema had been born a week ago. He invited her to come, but she refused. The child was a girl, a girl named Jinora.

Had he forgotten their very first child, Jinora? It was a miscarriage. After that she had two more miscarriages. Both of them girls. They hadn't lived long enough to be given names. Lin was angry at Tenzin for using that name. There was only so much that stopped her from killing him.

"Hey Mom, check this out!" came Kuzon's delighted laugh. His body was covered in rock. "I'm Rockman!"

She rolled her eyes but gave him a small smile. "Well, Rockman. Do you want dinner or not?"

"Oh yeah! Bring on the meat!" he said. After removing the rocks, he ran from the backyard to the kitchen. His love for meat reminded her of her Uncle Sokka.

She served the dinner and he stuffed his mouth eagerly.

Kuzon made a sound of pleasure. "Dis ih guh Mom!"

"Don't eat with your mouth full."

He swallowed and then said, "This is good Mom!"

"Better."

"Hey Mom, can I go walk outside?"

She choked on her dumplings. "Why?"

Kuzon shrugged. "Just 'cause."

"I suppose but don't get into trouble and don't attract attention to yourself."

"Okay." he said and put his empty plate in the sink.

"Be back in ten!" she said as he ran out the door.

_line break_

Kuzon was thrilled. Finally. Away from his overprotective mother. It wasn't a bad thing, just too weird. He didn't have any friends because he was always training.

Remembering his mother's warning about not attracting attention, he went into a dark alley. It was filled with cobwebs and bags of trash.

"Hey you!" said a loud and slurred voice. Kuzon turned around and saw a teenager followed by four guys. All carried some alcoholic drinks.

"Um, hi." he said carefully. "What do you want?"

The teenage boy brushed his brown hair. "The name's Daiki. Remember that, and get your sorry butt out of here. This is my territory."

"You don't own this alley." Kuzon retorted, immediately regretting this.

"Oooh." said Daiki's followers and sniggered.

Daiki scowled at Kuzon. "Guess we're gonna have to beat this little squirt to pulp."

Daiki earthbended a rock towards Kuzon. He easily evaded it and the rock knocked over a trash can.

"Weak. You call yourself an earthbender?" Kuzon said.

The drunk earthbender howled in rage and trapped Kuzon in and earth shell. He prepared to hit him with a giant boulder until Kuzon found enough room in the earth shell to slam his foot on the ground. Daiki stumbled from the small earthquake.

Kuzon took a deep breath and freed himself from the earth shell.

"Man Daiki, this kid's beating you!" one of the followers exclaimed.

Daiki growled, "Shut up!"

Kuzon bit his lip. He didn't want any trouble and he really didn't want to hurt anyone. But he felt like this guy needed to be taught a lesson.

He made columns of earth under the teenagers' feet and they yelped in surprise as they flew in the air. Daiki was the only one still there, barely avoiding it. His dark green eyes widened in fear and he ran away.

Kuzon stood there awhile, wondering if he should go after him. A sharp cry was heard from the direction Daiki ran in. Kuzon ran there and saw Daiki with a little girl. He held her by the collar of her shirt.

"You saw nothing, got it? You didn't see me get beaten. You still have to say I'm undefeated." Daiki said menacingly and held a sharp rock at her neck.

She whimpered. "But I-"

"No buts."

Kuzon stepped out so Daiki could see him. "Leave her alone." he said.

Daiki stiffened. "Go away, squirt."

"Daiki, let her go!" Kuzon said forcefully and pushed him.

The teenager eyed him wearily. "I'm not scared of you." he said and cut the little girl's throat.

Kuzon jumped at Daiki and they began to wrestle.

"Aren't you the little hero?" the gang leader muttered. "You don't even know her. Why do you care?"

"Because I will never turn my back on people who need my help!" came Kuzon's reply and he punched Daiki's jaw.

Daiki tried to run away but Kuzon shot rocks at his heels and his back.

"Don't ever hurt anyone again!" Kuzon yelled as he shot the final blow. Instead, he accidentally shot out metal. Amazing. He had never metalbended before. The sharp piece of metal hit the gang leader's back. Daiki fell on his stomach and did not move.

He was too silent. Kuzon's heart started to race and the little girl backed slowly away from him.

"Daiki?" Kuzon said, bending down to nudge him with his hand. He slammed his foot on the ground. The only other heartbeat besides his own was the little girl's. "C'mon man, wake up this isn't funny."

"You killed Daiki." the little girl whispered.

Kuzon shook his head. "No, I'm not a murderer." he said, his voice shaking. He stood and backed away from Daiki's limp body. "Not possible."

The little girl's eyes were filled with fear and she ran away from him.

"No." Kuzon whispered. He ran away and back on the streets, his heart beating loudly.

He pounded on the door and his mom ushered him inside. "Where have you been? That was more than ten minutes."

"I feel really tired Mom." Kuzon lied. "I'm going to sleep."

Lin blinked. "Well, alright. I'll see you in the morning?"

He slammed his bedroom door behind him and jumped on his bed. He was shaking in fear. This couldn't have happened to him. No. No. No.

Kuzon looked out his window and imagined Daiki's gang finding his dead body.

He whispered so softly that even he had trouble hearing himself.

"I killed Daiki."

Reviews are welcome!


	10. Chapter 10

Here's another chapter by yours truly, Teen Warrior! You may also call me Mitchie.

So for a recap, Kuzon (as a nine year old) went for a walk but ran into this gang. He fought them off but then he spotted the gang leader, Daiki, threatening a little girl. Kuzon fought him, but accidentally killed him. This is part 2.

Chapter 10

"No! No! Leave me alone!" Kuzon screamed in his sleep.

Lin woke up immediately and ran to her son's room in her pajamas. Kuzon was thrashing in his sleep and screaming.

"Kuzon, calm down." she said wearily as he sat up. She sat down and hugged his shaking body.

He shook his head. "Oh spirits. Man, that was the worst nightmare ever."

"Shh, my little badgermole. " Lin murmured and stroked his ebony hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She sensed Kuzon's hesitation. "Uh, no thanks. Just a regular nightmare."

"Mmm." Lin said, not believing him at all. Something was definitely wrong. It must've had something to do with his walk yesterday. Kuzon rarely wanted to go to sleep early.

He sighed. "I'm fine Mom. Just go to sleep. You have work."

"Actually, you woke me up just in time." she said and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you for lunch."

"Okay. Bye Mom."

"Bye sweetie."

_line break_

Kuzon tried to meditate when his mother left. But Daiki's unseeing eyes was the only image in his mind that stayed there permanently. He shivered and hugged his knees, even though he wasn't even cold.

"I killed. I'm a horrible person." Kuzon whispered to himself. "I shouldn't have gone that far."

He was sure Daiki was haunting him. In his nightmares, his mind. Who knows, maybe he'd hallucinate about the late gang leader.

"Stupid guilt." he muttered. "Even meditating won't help."

Kuzon looked at the ceiling, wondering if Daiki was watching him from the Spirit World. Or worse, watching him in an invisible spirit form across the room.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he said. "I didn't mean to kill you."

There was no response, which relaxed him. If there was, that would freak him out.

"I'd better eat something." Kuzon said to himself. He made himself a cup of tea and ate toast in silence. After his small breakfast, he listened to the radio and practiced earthbending in the backyard. Once he finished, he took a relaxing hot bath to get his mind off of Daiki.

He heard the door open and changed into his clothes. Lin was in the kitchen with a bag of takeout.

"Hi." Kuzon said.

"Hello." Lin replied and served the fried rice and chicken. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yup." he lied. "So how was work?"

"The usual. Thugs robbing banks, gang fights, and I had to arrest two drunk men trying to seduce me."

He laughed. "Don't they always?"

"Yes." she chuckled. "I broke one of the men's wrists. His hand went too low for my taste."

Kuzon thought about what he had heard. Gang fights? He had to ask, but he couldn't be suspicious.

"More gang fights, huh?"

Lin nodded. "Apparently, some kid took out an entire gang and killed their leader. Crazy, right?"

He tried to ignore the pounding in his chest. "Yeah. What kid would be able to do that?" he said weakly.

"I know. I don't think a kid would be able to do that. We found a piece if sharp metal in the boy. I couldn't metalbend at that age. But the gang insists a young earthbender defeated them. And a little girl said the kid seemed innocent and scared when the gang leader was killed. She said it was an accident." she said and shrugged. "We can't look into it. Gang fights happen too much for the police to catch up."

Kuzon suddenly felt faint.

"Are you alright?" his mother asked. He felt a million miles away. "Kuzon, honey, you look flushed. Are you alright?"

He let out a shaky sigh. "I-I-I'm fine. Really Mom. Just...fine."

"I can tell you're lying." Lin said. "What's wrong?"

Kuzon's knees wobbled and he fell to the ground, tears spilling from his cheeks to the floor. His mother kneeled down and put his head on her chest. He clung tightly to her waist.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"I...I was walking yesterday. And they were there and they were going to hurt me and I won. But then I found him threatening the little girl, and I got mad and..." he gulped then forced out the words. "I killed the gang leader, D-Daiki."

Kuzon looked up at his mother, who remained silent and rubbed his back. "Why aren't you yelling at me? I killed someone! I'm a murderer! Lock me up forever!" he screamed and sobbed.

_line break_

She was shocked.

Kuzon, her sweet little boy, had accidentally killed someone. Killed. He looked so frail and frightened. His first kill.

Lin herself had killed criminals. Her first kill was when she was twenty-one. She had been shocked at first, but it was alright. It was for a good reason. But Kuzon was so young. Just nine.

"It's going to be alright, baby." she soothed and wiped his tears away. "It was just an accident."

"I didn't want to." he cried.

Lin held him tighter. "I know, I know. But I bet he's in the Spirit World, and he's forgiven you. You just got worked up, that's all. It won't happen again, as long as you be careful."

Kuzon sniffed.

"Hey kiddo. His gang told me they were going to give him a funeral where he was killed." she said and paused. "Do you want to go?"

"Yeah." he replied, his voice clearer than before. "I'll go. Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome." Lin said and kissed his hair. "I'm going back to work, okay? When I come back, you'd better be here."

He nodded and she gave him a small smile before leaving.

_line break_

Kuzon changed only changed his shirt and wore a black shirt. He washed his face. He wanted to bring something for Daiki. But what?

"Hmm." he muttered. Flowers seemed too tacky. The gang leader would've hated that.

The young earthbender walked outside and made a badgermole out of a rock. He would've appreciated that more than flowers.

He made his way down the alley and to the left, where his gang had their heads down and lowered Daiki into a deep hole. They looked at Kuzon suspiciously when they saw him.

"What do you want?" one of them said.

"I wanted to tell him I'm sorry and I wanted to pay my respects." Kuzon said sincerely.

The gang member blew his nose and nodded. Kuzon put the badgermole rock on Daiki's chest.

"Daiki," he began. "you seemed like you were lost when I met you. You weren't sure about where you belonged in the world so you did bad things. Maybe someone hurt you before-"

"Yeah. His drunk father abused 'im." another gang member interrupted.

The gang member who let Kuzon join hushed him. "Keep going, kid." the emotional gang member said.

"But eventually you found some of the greatest, most loyal friends that would have your back." Kuzon continued. "And you seemed happy, even though what you did was wrong. Then everything changed last night. I didn't want to kill you that night, and I'm sorry that I did. It wasn't my intention to take you away from your friends-your family-and the world. You would've been a good guy in time. Farewell, Daiki. I hope you finally find peace within."

The emotional gang member sobbed and clapped. The rest of the gang was silent with awe.

Daiki's second in command put his hand on Kuzon's shoulder. "Thank you. He would've really liked that."

He nodded and left, finally feeling better.

Very emotional chapter! Please click the button! You know you want to.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N I read the reviews for last chapter! I am so touched. Special thanks to LoK Fan for the greatest review I've ever gotten so far! You're awesome.

I hope you guys like this chapter!

Chapter 11

"Happy birthday Kuzon." Lin smiled at her son.

He smiled back. "Thanks Mom."

Kuzon turned ten today. Lin wanted to do something special for him, so she took him to the Probending Arena. They were going to watch the Wolfbats (A/N these Wolfbats members are different than the ones shown on LoK) against the Moose Lions. It was the finals, which meant the tickets were a little pricey, but it was worth it. He liked the Moose Lions, partially because of the story Lin told him of Sokka and the baby Moose Lion.

They were eating popcorn and cheered when Shiro Shinobi announced, "In-tro-ducing, the Moose Lions!"

When the cheering died down a little, Shiro said, "And their opponents, the Wolfbats!"

Kuzon yelled, "Boo!" earning him some disapproving looks from loyal Wolfbats fans.

"You know the rules. Keep a clean match tonight." the referee said and the match began.

The earthbender of the Moose Lions shot two earth discs at the waterbender of the Wolfbats. He staggered back. The firebender of the Wolfbats shot fire at the firebender of the other team, who went to zone two.

Lin liked probending to a certain extent, but didn't have the patience to watch it for a long time. She stopped watching to buy some tea from a vendor walking on the aisle nearest to her.

"The Moose Lions win round one!" Shiro Shinobi yelled excitedly.

Kuzon cheered. "Yes! Wolfbats suck!"

"Control your kid, will you lady?" an annoyed Wolfbats fan told Lin.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up, moron. It's just a probending match."

"Just a probending match? Kid, control your mom!" the fan said angrily.

More fans were now paying attention to the shouting match of Lin and the Wolfbats fan than the match. Kuzon looked anxiously at the staring people and a security guard who was coming towards them.

"Mom." he said, tugging her sleeve. "A security guard's coming."

Lin raised her hood from her jacket to hide her face. The security might recognize her as the chief. She was lucky no one had recognized her yet.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave." the security guard said.

"But it's my birthday!" Kuzon protested.

"Sorry, little man." the security guard said with little sympathy. "Your mom is distracting the audience."

He pouted, then sighed. "Okay."

"Ha!" the Wolfbats fan sneered. Lin and Kuzon scowled at him.

"You're kicked out too." the security guard told him.

He was shocked. "What? But-"

"You were also distracting the audience."

"But, but-"

"Let's go." Lin said to her son. He nodded and followed her out of the arena. They didn't talk until they were in the car.

"I'm sorry I got us kicked out." she apologized.

He shrugged and gave her a small smile. "It's okay. It was fun while it lasted."

"I still feel bad for ruining your birthday."

"C'mon Mom! We can just listen to it on the radio." Kuzon said, trying to cheer her up. He turned the radio on and Shiro Shinobi's voice filled the car.

They listened to the match until they got home. Kuzon hurriedly opened the door and turned on the radio to listen to it.

"I'll be right back." Lin called out from the car. "I need to pick up something."

"Okay!" came his response.

_line break_

When she got back, Kuzon was cheering in the living room screaming, "Moose Lions are the champions! Wolfbats suck!"

Lin smiled. "They won?"

"Yup! Hey, what's that?" he said, pointing to the small box she was holding.

She opened it. It was her mother's meteorite bracelet. Kuzon's mouth was in the shape of an O.

"Wow." he whispered in awe.

"It was Toph's." she told him. "When she died, I kept it away because looking at it was too painful...anyway, I want you to have it. She would've liked that."

Kuzon gingerly took it from the box.

"It's space earth. Try bending it."

He shaped the bracelet into many shapes, laughing with delight. He stopped to put it around his right bicep and looked at Lin.

"Thank you." he told her sincerely and hugged her. Lin hugged him back.

"Happy birthday, my little badgermole."

"Thanks Mom."

Review!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N Hmm...only three reviews? It only takes a moment to type down your thoughts! Thank you to those who reviewed!

This one's pretty long btw. This is dedicated to NicBaz. Again, I'm really sorry.

Chapter 12

Today, Kuzon was going to do something different.

Just the other day, he had thought he had way too much free time. It was true. Kuzon usually practiced earthbending in the backyard or listened to the radio.

So he came up with a plan.

"Hey Mom." he said when she came home for lunch.

"Hello, Kuzon. How is your day so far?" Lin asked as she started serving the takeout food.

He sat down at the table. "It's okay. So what did you do?"

"Oh, the usual. Thugs in jail, more men trying to seduce me," she rolled her eyes at this point, "Saikhan asked me out-"

"Please tell me you rejected him." said Kuzon.

"I did. I think he'll stop asking at this point." Lin reassured him.

He exhaled in relief. "Thank the spirits! He is so serious and he's no fun."

She smiled and gave him his food. "Yeah he is. Still, he is trustworthy and a pretty good captain."

"I guess." he shrugged. "I can't wait until I join the Police Force."

"You'd probably be a better captain than Saikhan."

Kuzon beamed, then frowned. "Wait...isn't your lunch break almost over?"

Lin swore loudly until she realized Kuzon was still there. "Sorry. Don't repeat that. I have to go! I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Yeah sure. Bye!" he called out after her as she slammed the door. He heard the car start.

Once he was sure she was gone, he ran to his room. Kuzon was going to take a long walk downtown. Sure, there were gangs but he was going to be really careful. He just wanted to see why his mother warned him about how dangerous they were. Kuzon thought he was a really good earthbender. He was twelve and was really close to mastering it.

He found his gray coat and put it on. He grabbed some yuans and put them in his pocket.

"Time to get out of here." he said to himself. He grabbed the keys to his house and put them in his pants pocket. He locked the door and off he went.

Kuzon hadn't walked out in awhile. It took him a couple of months after the Daiki incident to go outside by himself. He had been traumatized.

Walking downtown wasn't that bad. There were some shady people looking at people's wallets and purses, and street vendors selling suspicious items. But Kuzon just kept his head down. No one paid attention to him.

He was walking down an alley when someone pulled him down behind a trash can.

"What are you doing? This is gang territory!" a voice hissed.

It was a boy with shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. His tan skin was covered in grime and dirt. His clothes were torn and dirty. The boy was really thin and looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

"I didn't know! Hey, if this is gang territory then why are you here?" asked Kuzon.

"I'm part of the gang." the boy lied.

He rolled his eyes. With or without seismic sense, he could tell the boy was lying. "No you're not. You wouldn't be hiding here if you were part of the gang."

"Good point." the boy said. He stuck out his hand for Kuzon to shake. "I'm Lei."

He could tell that the boy had lied about his name. He decided not to lie though. "Kuzon." he said back and they shook hands.

"So Kuzon, what are you doing here?" Lei asked.

"I wanted to explore. I'm always cooped up at my house. What about you Lei?"

"I'm going to find some of the Agni Kai Triad's food. I'm hungry." Lai told him.

Kuzon felt the yuans in his pocket. "I have money."

"Really? How much?" he asked.

"Only ten." he replied apologetically.

Lai shrugged. "That's not enough. I have to feed my sister, my friend, her little brother, and another friend. I'm the oldest, so I have to feed them all."

"Wow. Hey I can help! I'm an earthbender and I'm pretty good if I say so myself." Kuzon said.

"How old are you?" Lai asked.

"Twelve." he answered.

"I'm sixteen. Hm, this could work, kid. I'm a non-bender. So I brought my boomerang." Lai said and showed Kuzon his weapon. "Follow me. Watch my back."

Kuzon nodded. They went deeper into the alley until they reached a dead end. There was just trash and a huge dumpster with flies buzzing above it.

"Shoot! When I followed them, they went here! I'm sure of it!" Lai muttered angrily.

"Hold on." Kuzon said. He slammed his foot on the ground. There was a secret staircase under the dumpster. He told Lai about it.

The street urchin frowned. "Are you sure?" he said.

Kuzon went into the dumpster and moved the trash, revealing the secret staircase.

Lai grinned and clapped him on the back. "I'm so glad I met you, kid." he said.

They walked down the staircase, wrinkling their noses at the unpleasant scent. Suddenly, a large bang broke the silence.

"It came from over there." Kuzon said, pointing to the right hallway.

They followed the path until they reached a large room filled with food and money. Lei's eyes bulged.

"Wow! This is 'mazing!" he said and began to stuff his pockets with food and yuans. "C'mon Kuzon! Help me out here!"

The young earthbender obliged and put some food and money in his pockets, behind his headband.

"What do you think you're doin'?" said a gruff, annoyed voice.

The boys slowly turned around. A firebender stood in front of the only exit to the outside.

Another one appeared next to him. "What's goin' on-oh. We've got a couple of trespassers."

Kuzon immediately stomped his foot on the ground, sending them flying. He raised a cloud of sand in the air and grabbed Lei's wrist.

"Let's go." he whispered to him.

Lei let himself be led by the younger boy. They went back to the stairs that led to the outside. Kuzon shut the trapdoor and they climbed out of the dumpster.

"That was...so...close." Lei panted.

"I...know." Kuzon said. "We should get going...though. Show me...where your...friends are."

Lei nodded and they went through some alleys until they had to cross a street.

They ran in the middle of traffic and cars honked in annoyance.

"Sorry!" Kuzon yelled at them and accidentally bumped into a man wearing red and yellow robes. He was tall and had a blue arrow on his bald head. His gray/blue eyes looked down at him. Kuzon couldn't help but feel like he should know this man.

"Pardon me." the man said, looking at Kuzon with slight curiosity. Kuzon did not like the stares the man gave him and ducked his head so the bald man wouldn't see his face. But his curiosity got the best of him and he studied the man, examining every feature.

"C'mon kid!" he heard Lei shout.

He stopped staring. "Um, sorry. Gotta go!" he told the bald man and ran to catch up with Lei.

Lei led him through multiple alleys until they reached a small, cheap shack made with thin pieces of metal. Lei knocked three times, paused a second, and knocked once. The door opened.

A small girl that looked like Lei opened the door. "You're back!" she cried and hugged his leg.

"Yup. And I brought a friend." he said and pointed to Kuzon.

"Hey." Kuzon said.

The boys went inside. There was a girl older than Lei feeding a five year old applesauce. The boy had shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and a crooked smile. A girl sat in the corner stroking her long raven hair, which covered her face.

"Finally you're back." the girl with the little boy said.

"Sorry Haromi." Lei said. "We got a lot of money and food from the Agni Kai triad, though."

She held out the little boy. "I had to keep Skoochy from pickpocketing. And we also got money too. He put a mean puppy dog face. Pulled in a lot of money from people."

"Nice Skooch." Lei grinned. The boy-Skoochy-gave him an even bigger crooked smile.

Lei and Kuzon put the food in a basket and the yuans in a nearly non-existent pile.

They talked and laughed. Kuzon felt good. He finally felt like he had friends. This was awesome.

But he couldn't help but wonder about that bald man. He was so familiar. Maybe Kuzon had seen him before, but he didn't think so. He knew in his gut that the man meant something to him. He wasn't just a random man.

He glanced at the sky. It was dark. He'd better get home.

"I'd better go guys. My mom's gonna come home soon." Kuzon said.

"Alright. But come back, man. Thanks for helping us." Lei said and clapped his back.

Skoochy's big sister nodded. "You're pretty cool, kid."

Her brother chirped, "Kuku!"

Haromi looked up at him. "You're awesome, mister."

"Next time, get better food." the girl with raven hair said in a monotone.

He smiled. "Sure."

He waved goodbye and went back home, feeling content.


	13. IMPORTANT

IMPORTANT!

Where do I begin? Let me start with this.

I'm going through some tough times. I didn't tell my parents about my account and I can't update to my wonderful readers. Thank you so much for supporting me on my brief but exhilarating journey as a fanfiction author.

I wish I could write again but I don't want to keep secrets again by breaking their fragile trust in me. I'm sorry for disappointing you guys, but life for me has been rough.

Finding yourself is the toughest journey of all in life. It seems easy, like in a story, but it's not. I'm in the middle of self-discovery right now, and it feels like God picked the hardest for me. I feel like I'm screwing up and not living up to my parents' expectations. I'm not, trust me. They didn't expect me to be who I am.

Again, I want to thank you and say that I am not writing again.

I'm sorry.


End file.
